Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson welcomed a new generation of trailblazers on Tuesday when it became the home field of the Jersey Shore Wave, a new team in the Women’s National Football Conference.
Now, the restored national landmark, once home to Negro League baseball in the 1930s, will host the female tackle football team. The Wave will play all three of its home games at Hinchliffe, on April 5, 12, and May 5.
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh was joined by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.) in welcoming Jersey Shore Wave owner Dawn Sherman and the team to Hinchliffe.
Sayegh said welcoming the Wave was a step in the right direction at a time when DEI initiatives were under attack from the Trump Administration.
Karen Mulligan, the quarterback for the Jersey Shore Wave, tosses a pass on the Hinchliffe Stadium turf. The expansion women's football team will play its home games at Hinchliffe when the season begins at the end of March.Richard Cowen/NJ Advance Media for NJ.Com
“Today is a victory for diversity and a victory for inclusion in the City of Paterson,” Sayegh said.
Sherrill, the former Navy helicopter pilot who represents New Jersey’s 11th District, recalled her own fight for a combat role in the military. Now, besides representing New Jersey’s 11th congressional district and running for governor, Sherrill is a soccer mom.
Her daughter now gets the same coaches the boys get. “She’s every bit as tough as any one of them,” she said.
“Sports is something that should be open to everyone,” she continued. “And for too long we have seen access locked for many women. That’s why so many of us are proud of you.”
The Jersey Shore Wave is the newest edition to the Women’s National Football Conference, a semi-pro league with 17 teams in big markets all over the country, among them, Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, Kansas City.
It’s tackle football with pads and helmets, played on a 100-yard field with only a few rule changes. There’s a three-point conversion, and an interception that is returned for touchdown is worth nine points, not six, like in the men’s game.
Each team plays six games, followed by playoffs. The title game is dubbed the IX Cup – in deference to Title IX, the landmark federal legislation that is supposed to guarantee equality for women in sports.
The helmet of the Jersey Shore Wave, the women's football team that will play its home games at Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson this spring.Richard Cowen/NJ Advance Media for NJ.Com
The markets may be big, but the budgets are shoestring – at least for now. The players and coaches aren’t paid, so nobody gives up their day jobs. Teams look for sponsors to underwrite their biggest expense – travel – and the players conduct fundraisers.
Tatiana Perez, a 31-year-old defensive back from Newark, says she grew up in a football family. As a kid, she played with her brothers, but there was nothing for her once she reached high school.
Ebony Goolsby, 38, is a running back. Also from Newark, she grew up watching her father coach Pop Warner football.
“When I was younger I wanted to play, but it wasn’t popular for a female to play on a team full of boys,” she said. “So I had to be a cheerleader.”
Goolsby said she played basketball in college, “but I was always in foul trouble because I was aggressive.” Now she’s using that aggression to carry the ball. “I’m aggressive so this is right up my alley,” she said.
Sherman, the CEO of a pharmaceutical company who lives in Mahwah, said all the Wave players will volunteer in the community. Sherman acknowledges that overcoming the perception that football isn’t a women’s sport is a challenge, but the biggest hurdle is building a fan base.
“We’re here to make history,” Sherman said, “and we’re excited to take part in the rich history of this community and Hinchliffe Stadium.”
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.Richard Cowen may be reached at rcowen@njadvancemedia.com.